Orange is the New Black: Contraband Candy Bar Brownies

Contraband Candy Bar Brownies

I’m kicking off the Orange is the New Black cookbook with some Contraband Candy Bar Brownies!

I think these are the brownies we see in Season 2, Episode 2, when Gloria offers Luschek a “job fair brownie” to ease tension in the kitchen after he’s insulted by Maria’s “plumber’s butt” comment.

In the cookbook, Luschek’s narrative describes a high school party he went to where he tried his first pot brownie, but then it ends with him realizing that he was being asked about regular brownies and says he likes them “even when they’re just being served up as a treat in the caf.”

And I assure you, there was no pot in these brownies 😉

The first step was melting the chocolate and butter together. To make it easier on yourself, I suggest using a double boiler instead of the “bowl over simmering water” method they include. I’m sure this is what you’d have to do in prison, but out in the real world, a double boiler is much simpler.

The dry ingredients are mixed together first, followed by the eggs and vanilla being added, and then the melted chocolate. The last step is to add in the flour.

Half the batter was poured into a foil-lined baking dish. Then a layer of cut-up candy bar bites are laid on top of the batter. They say to use either Milky Way or Snickers, so we went with Snickers.

Once the candy bar bites are in place, the rest of the batter is poured on top and smoothed out flat.

Then it cooks in the oven for about 25-30 minutes until it’s cooked through.

The most torturous part was waiting the hour for them to cool before we could cut these up and eat them!

Taste: 10/10

The brownies were perfect! Fluffy and moist, with the perfect amount of chocolate. And the candy bars were a GREAT addition!

Difficulty: Average

It’s a pretty straight-forward brownie recipe, but if you follow their directions then the melting of the chocolate and butter is more difficult than it needs to be.

Cost: Average

You will need to purchase unsweetened chocolate and Milky Way or Snickers bites. You may also need to purchase eggs, vanilla, or other typical baking ingredients that you’re short on (flour, sugar, butter…).